Placebo Is an Effective Osteoarthritis Treatment

In clinical trials, potentially new treatments are compared to placebo. If the new or active treatment elicits a superior response to placebo that shows it's effective. But the placebo itself can have an effect. It's even a recognized term -- "the placebo effect".

Researchers examined the placebo effect in randomized, placebo-controlled studies for osteoarthritis. There were 198 trials with 193 placebo groups (16,364 patients) and 14 untreated control groups (1,167 patients) included in the assessment. A wide range of treatments were involved -- drugs, non-drug treatments, and surgical procedures.

Placebo was found to be effective for relieving pain, improving function, and decreasing joint stiffness associated with osteoarthritis. The size of the placebo effect was affected by the strength of the active treatment, how severe the disease was at the study onset, as well as how the placebo was administered. Interestingly, the pain-relieving effect of the placebo increased when the placebo was given through injection.

Related Resources:

• What Is the Placebo Effect?
• The Healing Power of Placebos
• Is Every Placebo the Same?
• Placebo Effect Linked to Changes in Brain Chemistry
• Placebo Is Prescribed by Internists and Rheumatologists

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